The future of coffee and cocoa agroforestry in a warmer Mesoamerica

Climate change threatens cofee production and the livelihoods of thousands of families in Mesoamerica that depend on it. Replacing cofee with cocoa and integrating trees in combined agroforestry systems to ameliorate abiotic stress are among the proposed alternatives to overcome this challenge. These two alternatives do not consider the vulnerability of cocoa and tree species commonly used in agroforestry plantations to future climate conditions. We assessed the suitability of these alternatives by identifying the potential changes in the distribution of cofee, cocoa and the 100 most common agroforestry trees found in Mesoamerica. Here we show that cocoa could potentially become an alternative in most of cofee vulnerable areas. Agroforestry with currently preferred tree species is highly vulnerable to future climate change. Transforming agroforestry systems by changing tree species composition may be the best approach to adapt most of the cofee and cocoa production areas. Our results stress the urgency for land use planning considering climate change efects and to assess new combinations of agroforestry species in cofee and cocoa plantations in Mesoamerica

Diversity and conservation of traditional African vegetables: Priorities for action

© 2020 The Authors. Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Aim: Traditional African vegetables have high potential to contribute to healthy diets and climate resilience in sub-Saharan African food systems. However, their genetic resources are likely at threat because they are underutilized and under the radar of agricultural research. This paper aims to contribute to a conservation agenda for traditional African vegetables by examining the geographical diversity and conservation status of these species. Location: Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: 126 traditional annual and perennial African vegetables were selected for their food and nutrition potential. Food uses and species’ areas of origin were recorded from literature. Species’ presence records were collected from open-access databases of genebanks and herbaria. These records were used to determine geographical patterns of observed and modelled richness, to distinguish geographical clusters with different compositions of vegetables, to assess species’ ex situ and in situ conservation status and to prioritize countries for conservation actions. Results: Of the 126 species, 79 originated in sub-Saharan Africa. High levels of observed and modelled species richness were found in: (a) West Tropical Africa in Ghana, Togo and Benin; (b) West-Central Tropical Africa in South Cameroon; (c) Northeast and East Tropical Africa in Ethiopia and Tanzania; and (d) Southern Africa in Eswatini. South Sudan, Angola and DR Congo are potential areas of high species richness that require further exploration. In general, ex situ conservation status of the selected species was poor compared to their in situ conservation status. Main conclusions: Areas of high species richness in West Tropical Africa, South Cameroon and Ethiopia coincide with centres of crop domestication and cultural diversity. Hotspots of diversity in Tanzania and Eswatini are especially rich in wild vegetables. Addressing the conservation of vegetable diversity in West Tropical Africa and South Cameroon is of most urgent concern as vegetable genetic resources from these locations are least represented in ex situ collections.publishedVersio

Suitability of key Central American agroforestry species under future climates: an Atlas.

This atlas provides habitat suitability maps for 54 species that are widely used in Central America for shade in coffee or cocoa agroforestry systems. The 54 species represent 24 fruit species, 24 timber species and 6 species used for soil fertility improvement. Suitability maps correspond to the baseline climate (1960-1990) and 2050 climates predicted for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. Habitat was classified as suitable in future climates if a minimum of 12 out of 17 downscaled Global Circulation Models predicted suitable climates. Details of the methodology of ensemble suitability modelling with the BiodiversityR package are provided in the atlas. The atlas was developed to support climate change oriented initiatives for diversification and conservation of forest genetic resources across Central America. Farmers, scientists and technicians can use the atlas to identify suitable and vulnerable areas for shade species and develop strategies for climate change adaptation. This work has been possible by the financial support of the CGIAR research program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA; supported by the CGIAR Fund Donors); the CGIAR research program on Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS; supported by the CGIAR Fund Donors) and HIVOS. The authors of this atlas are scientists of Bioversity International, CATIE and the World Agroforestry Centre

Predicting the Performance of CSA Technologies under current and future conditions

Predicting the Performance of CSA Technologies under current and future conditions. Presentation at the Global Science Conference for Climate-Smart Agriculture 8-11 October 2019. Bali, Indonesia